Queen Consorts

[blanche]

A place for info on Scottish Queen Consorts.

[ilyala]

st. margaret is my favorite... the only scottish royal to be a saint was actually english

[bell_the_cat]

Here is a list of queens consort of Scotland up to the Union of the Crowns in 1707. Hope I haven’t missed any – I’ve started with St Margaret which passes over Lady Macbeth already –too bad!

Margaret of England 1045-1093, wife of Malcolm III Canmore
? Ethreda (daughter of Gospatric Earl of Northumberland), wife of Duncan II
Sibylla (illegitimate daughter of Henry I) d.1122, wife of Alexander I
Matilda of Northumberland 1074-1130, wife of David I
Ermengarde of Beaumont (crazy name, crazy lady! ) 1160-1233, wife of William the Lion
Joan of England (sister of Henry III) 1210-1238, first wife of Alexander II
Marie de Coucy b.1218/9, second wife of Alexander II
Margaret of England (daughter of Henry III) 1240-1275, first wife of Alexander III
Joleta (Yolanda) of Dreux, second wife of Alexander III
Isabelle de Warenne b.1253, wife of John Balliol
Elizabeth of Ulster 1289-1327, second wife of Robert the Bruce
Joan of England (another one, sister of Edward III)1321-1362, first wife of David II
Margaret Logie (divorced 1369) d.1375, second wife of David II
Euphemia of Ross d.1387, second wife of Robert II
Annabella Drummond 1350-1402, wife of Robert III
Joan Beaufort (niece of Henry IV) c.1406-1445, wife of James I
Mary of Gelderland d.1463, wife of James II
Margaret of Denmark 1456-1486, wife of James III
Margaret Tudor (daughter of Henry VII) 1489-1541, wife of James IV
Madeleine of France (daughter of Francois I) 1520-1537, first wife of James V
Mary of Guise 1515-1560, second wife of James V
Anne of Denmark 1574-1619, wife of James VI
Henrietta Maria of France (sister of Louis XIII) 1609-1669, wife of Charles I
Catharine of Braganza 1638-1705, wife of Charles II
Mary of Modena 1658-1718, second wife of James VII

The last four were also Queens of England. I think Margaret Tudor has her own thread, but the others are relatively unknown – undeservedly, as they all had fascinating lives. Many of them were not very significant as Queens consort but came to their own when their husbands died on them, leaving them to be regents for their under-age children. This happened to Ermengarde de Beaumont (briefly), Marie de Coucy, Joan Beaufort, Mary of Gelderland, Margaret Tudor and Mary of Guise. All were foreign princesses trying to rule Scotland with varying success.

I’m not sure whether Ethreda was alive at the time her husband was on the throne.

Which ones would you like to know about? My favourite is Ermengarde de Beaumont – asides from the great name, she sounds like a very practical person and founded the abbey of Balmerino in Fife. Other favourites: Joan Beaufort and Mary of Gelderland because of their “hands on” regencies.

Least favourite:
(St) Margaret – she’s controversial in Scotland (I believe) because of her policy of degaelicisation i.e. suppressing the use of the Gaelic language in the lowlands.

[ChristineM]

St Margaret Queen of Scotland was born, in exile, in Hungary.  (King Edward the Confessor was her great uncle.)   She married King Malcolm Canmore III in 1070.

Queen Margaret, a renowned beauty, was committed to work on behalf of the poor and disadvantaged and concerned herself with working for social justice on behalf of all her subjects (very enlightened for an 11th century Queen).   She was responsible for the Romanisation of the Scottish Catholic Church.

She died in Edinburgh Castle in 1093 and her remains buried in front of the high altar in Dunfermline.  (This was the parish church of the late Rev. John Brown - father of Britain's Chancellor of the Exchequer - Gordon Brown)

Queen Margaret was canonised in 1251 by Pope Innocent IV.

The wonderful St Margaret's Chapel is built at the heart of Edinburgh Castle.   This present day chapel (STRONGLY recommend a visit to anyone visiting Edinburgh) was built by her youngest son, King David I - probably on the site of a chapel where Margaret herself worshipped.

The 'Norman' chapel measures only 17'/11' - starkly, simply beautiful.   Members of Edinburgh Castle's garrison can marry there.

Fresh flowers are placed there at least weekly - sometimes more frequently.   Always, only, by women of the name... 'Margaret'.

St Margaret of Scotland was a very remarkable woman of her times and remains so to this day.

tsaria  

[Prince_Lieven]

I've always had a little soft spot for Mary of Guelders and Marie de Guise, both of whom had to rule Scotland for their children, and did so, with varying degrees of success. Mary tried to enlist the help of Margaret of Anjou, Lancastrian Queen of England, and supported the latter financially during her exile, but eventualy being allied to the Lancastrians became a hinderance rather than a help.

Also, I feel very sorry for Mary of Modena - when she was told  she had to go to England to marry the Duke of York, as James II then was, she said she had no idea where England was, or who the Duke was!

She bore James many children, but when she finally gave birth to a son in 1688, she was accused of foisting a 'warming pan baby' on the royal line! Not only did the mojority of her husband's subjects beleive this, but also her stepdaughters Mary and Anne. This must have been hard, for though Anne was always very, ahem, b!tchy to Mary of Modena, Mary of Orange had been a friend to her, and they had gotten on quite well.

[Kimberly]

These brides were very young- the average age being 151/2.David II and Joan of the Tower's marriage negotiations were concluded before they were 10 years old. How frightening for these girls to be sent to live in a foreign country and with men they had never met. Mary de Coucy was 21 years younger than Alexander II, mary of Modena was 25 years younger than James VII and Yolande was 26 years younger than her Alexander.i think these marriages were quite happy though maybe due to the indulgent older husband

[Prince_Lieven]

When James II introduced his new wife Mary Beatrice to his elder daughter, Lady Mary, he said 'Look! I have brought you a new playfellow!'

[ChristineM]

Queen Margaret was an 'elderly' bride at the age of twenty five.

tsaria

[Prince_Lieven]

Poor Madeleine of France was 17 when she married James V, and she died soon after. I beleive Marie de Guise was an 'elderly' bride too, since she was a widowed mother already, but I don't know her exact age when she married James . . .

[Kimberly]

About 23

[Prince_Lieven]

Well, that's quite old for the standards of the day . . . thanks Kim!  

[Kimberly]

An added "plus" for her was that she had already proved her fertility and had 2 sons with her first husband, louis Duc de Longueville

[Prince_Lieven]

Henry VIII was interested in marrying Marie de Guise, but she very wisely had nothing to do with him.

[umigon]

What a good thread!

Yes, she was the one that said she only had one neck and it was sooo beautiful. And Christina of Denmark the one who said that had she been born with two heads, she would happily risk one becoming the queen of England but she unfortunately only had one head...  


I also feel sorry for Mary of Modena, although her marriage was quite happy in the end even though James was not faithful.

I always had a special interest in Mary II and Anne, I think they were capricious and from my point of view they never really got to learn what the word 'love' means!

[Kimberly]

The first named Scottish consort is Lady Macbeth-Gruoch. Gruoch and Macbeth had no children but then we do not know what age she was when she married him and Macbeth accepted that her son,Lulach, by her first husband would succeed him. we will never know wether she was the evil woman who dabbled in suspicious activities a la Mr. Shakespeare but it would appear that she was an extremely powerful woman and her real life was very dramatic, losing brother, her two husbands and only son in horrendous circumstances.